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<title>Season 1, Episode 2A: Skate Night by Peaches and RAmen (Peachy00Keen)</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23164450">Season 1, Episode 2A: Skate Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peachy00Keen/pseuds/Peaches%20and%20RAmen'>Peaches and RAmen (Peachy00Keen)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Babel [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek, Star Trek - Various Authors, Star Trek Online</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Cute, F/F, F/M, First Dates, Gen, Hockey, Holodecks/Holosuites, Humans, Ice Skating, M/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Other, Science, Science Fiction, Slice of Life, Star Trek References, Star Trek: Babel, Winter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-01-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:41:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,863</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23164450</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peachy00Keen/pseuds/Peaches%20and%20RAmen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ensign Brahms and Ensign Benson make good on their promise of a date by taking one of Renetta's holodeck programs for a spin. The two find that some of life's warmest moments can be found in the chilliest of places.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>David Brahms/Renetta Benson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Babel [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1623328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p></p><div>
  <p>“Come on, come on,” Renetta exclaimed as she held David’s hand, gently pulling him down the hallway toward the holodeck. “You’re going to love this, I know it. It’s my favorite program and it’s my favorite place in the galaxy.” Her skates thumped in her hand as the boots knocked against each other in time with her bouncing strides. “Have you ever been to Canada before?”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“I’d never even been to Earth until the Academy,” the man said, hurrying to keep up as she dragged him along. “I’ve been to San Francisco, obviously, and the major Earth tourist sites: Bozeman, Paris, the Grand Canyon... I can’t say I ever made it to Canada, though.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Oh, it’s beautiful, at least up in the mountains. Lots of snow and pine trees, and the air smells so fresh.” She slowed her pace a little and looked back to make eye contact with him. “Not that those places aren’t interesting -- they are, I’ve been there -- but it’s the places on Earth that people don’t really talk about that I often find are the most captivating.” As they neared the holodeck, she gave his hand a squeeze. “I had a program designed to recreate a lake near where I grew up that was a prime spot for pond hockey. I spent so much time there growing up, and anytime I’m back on Earth for an extended stay in wintertime, I always try to get out there. It’s where I can go to relieve stress and ground myself again. For us, today, I’ll just have the lake cleared off for some skating. If nothing else, the view is gorgeous.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“That sounds great! Just don’t expect much from me on skates. I don’t think I’ve even tried since I was five.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“That’s what I’m here for.” Renetta smiled and turned to the panel outside the door to the holodeck. “Computer, begin simulation Benson One.” The computer paused for a moment before welcoming them to enter when ready. She turned to David. “Well, are you ready?”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He looked down nervously at his freshly replicated skates before flashing her a grin. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She gave his hand another reassuring squeeze and led him into the holodeck. The chilly air hit her face and filled her lungs as she took in a deep breath. That familiar smell of pine, cedar, and distant wood fires triggered a pang of homesickness until she recalled that this was home to her, even if it was just a snowglobe version of it for now. The snow crunched under her feet, and in the distance, the lake stretched out in an undisturbed flat expanse of pure white until the treeline began on the far shore.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Computer, clear the snow from the lake.” The flat, glittering blanket of snow dissipated, giving way to a smooth icy surface. Down by the near shore stood a small shack where they could change their shoes. She turned to David. “What do you think?”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“It’s beautiful,” he said, holding a gloved hand up to shield his eyes as he looked out at the mountains beyond. “And it’s huge! And... it’s really, <em>really </em>cold!” He was dressed in a thick winter coat and snow pants, and his head was covered with a red tuque, but with almost twice the covering she was wearing, he was still visibly shivering in the frigid Canadian winter.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“You’ll warm up once you get moving, don’t worry. If not, we can always get a campfire started near the shelter down there,” she pointed at the shack down the way. “Let’s get changed into skates before our fingers freeze, though. Even my gloves aren’t very thick.” Renetta marched through the snow in her chunky winter sweater, a scarf, a trapper-style hat, some thin knitted gloves, and a pair of old-fashioned denim pants. “Since we already laced them up once after they came out of the replicator, you shouldn’t have to do much with your laces besides tightening them from the ankles up. I can show you how to get them nice and tight. By the time you’re all tired and ready to get on the ice, I bet you you’ll be a lot warmer.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>They crunched through the snowy pine forest to the small wooden lean-to at the edge of the lake. Renetta sat down on the bench and started unlacing her boots. “I’m really glad you agreed to give this a try,” she said with a smile, sounding a bit nervous. “I hope I didn’t strongarm you into coming here.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>David took a seat next to her and laughed. “Strongarm me into spending time with you? Come on, after the last couple of months on this ship, how bad could some skating on the holodeck be?”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Oh, well if you’re feeling that confident, I can have the computer sim us some teams and we can play a round after we get you warmed up!” She looked up from her skates to see David’s horrified look. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding. For all we know, you can’t even stand on those things. I’ll be there for you to lean on and use as support.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>After they’d gotten their skates on, they crossed the couple of meters between the shack and the edge of the lake. Renetta stepped out onto the ice first, skating a couple of small circles before turning to face the shore, extending her arms to her anxious date. “Alright, you’re up David. One foot at a time, lean into me if you lose your balance, and try not to fall backward.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He took her hands cautiously and stepped out onto the ice, almost immediately leaning forward into her as he stumbled awkwardly. “Wow, it really has been a while since I tried this,” he muttered under his breath, managing small, timid steps.</p>
</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div>
  <p>“No, you need to push with your blade, not just walk on it,” she said, exasperated as she tried to correct his footwork for what must have been the tenth time already. “Here, watch me.” She let go of his hands, leaving him standing helplessly in the middle of the lake, and took off in a slow lap, exaggerating each motion as she pushed off with one skate to glide on the other, taking long, fluid strides before coming to a gentle halt in front of him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“You make it look so <em>easy </em>when you do that,” he said.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“It’s just physics,” she replied, hoping her teaching wasn’t ruining the mood of the date. “Just focus on keeping your ankles from wobbling all over, and the rest will be easier.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She couldn’t tell if it was determination or frustration that covered his frozen face, but David set out again, carefully pushing off with one foot and gliding, if not gracefully, on the other. He set his foot down and pushed off again, with just slightly less wobbling, and his tight, determined face eased into a boyish grin.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Hey, I think I’ve got this figured out!”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“That’s great!” she shouted. “Now come over to me.”</p>
</div><div>
  <p>He turned, slowly, and started to skate toward her. When he was a few feet away, Renetta kicked out with her right skate, gliding backward away from him. She matched each of his steps with one of hers, turning and backpedaling to keep him from catching her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Hey, that’s not fair!” he shouted, before staggering to keep his balance.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“You have to catch me!” she teased back at him.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Fine then,” he said, before taking off at a run. She saw his mistake before he did, but she could do nothing to stop him as he lost his footing, barrelling into her and sending them both tumbling to the ice. She came to a halt pinned down under David, his face just inches from hers.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>The workout had gotten her heart pounding, but its sudden increase in tempo had nothing to do with skating. Renetta stared up at him, her mind racing as their breath billowed in thin white plumes between them. No single thought could make it to the forefront of her mind, but all of them seemed to be shouting the same thing: They’d never been this close before. Sure, they’d kissed, but it had always been little pecks on the cheek and only once on the lips. It just wasn’t something you did in the public areas they always went, and it certainly wasn’t appropriate while on-duty.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>Here, though, it was just them. She could feel the redness in her face as her mind took all sorts of liberties with the thought of being alone, none she hadn’t had before, but also none she’d ever had while David had been present, and certainly not <em>this </em>close. She let out a small, awkward giggle as she reached up and brushed a stray tuft of light brown hair out of his face. He smiled at her, his own cheeks reddening beyond the frostnip. Renetta moved that hand around to the back of his head as she did her best to prop herself up on one shaky elbow, and she brought their lips together in a tender kiss.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>David, who had been using both hands to prop himself up, took one of them and placed it behind Renetta’s head, leaning into the kiss. The cold air around them lost its bite as the two became surrounded in one another’s warmth. Any remaining tension and uncertainty that had managed to linger a month into their relationship suddenly melted away as the two let themselves get lost in one another’s embrace.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>By the time they pulled apart, Renetta felt hot enough to melt the ice they sat on. Her eyelashes had a layer of frost on them from their breath and her heart raced as if she’d just gotten off the ice after a game. It took all of her self-control not to throw herself immediately back at him. It had been so long since she’d last dated someone, and then, she had been much younger. Now, it suddenly occurred to her that the possibilities had much more distant limits. Her mind had never stopped racing, but now that they had stopped kissing, she felt she ought to say something.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>She racked her brain for something constructive. “That was… I... Uh...“ Her face cycled through several shades of pink as she tugged at the earflaps of her hat, straightening it out on her head. “I hope there’s more of that in my future.” <em>Wow, that wasn’t what I thought I was going to say... but it’s certainly true.</em></p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Yeah... me too,” he managed between breaths. He rolled off of her and they helped each other up from the ice. She wasn’t sure precisely how long they’d been here, but the sun had moved from well above the nearest mountain peak to the beginning of the early sunset.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“We should probably head back soon,” she said, her thoughts and emotions still spinning around her.</p>
</div><div>
  <p>“Alright, but maybe we take it slowly this time,” he replied, taking her hand in his. “I certainly learned <em>something </em>today, but I’m not quite sure it was skating.”</p>
</div><br/><p> </p>
<p></p><div>
  <p>
    <strong>The adventures of the <em>USS Babel</em> will continue...</strong>
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